The first of this week’s gems comes from the iconic Nick Lowe, who returns with his first studio album in over a decade. On Indoor Safari, backed on every track by his trusted collaborators Los Straitjackets, Nick exhibits his razor-sharp songwriting ability through a multitude of sonic environments. With his signature wit on display for grooving numbers like ‘Went to a Party’ and ‘Don’t Be Nice to Me’ to the heartfelt sentiment on ‘Blue on Blue’ and ‘Jet Pac Boomerang’, and topped with Nick breathing new life into hidden gems of the ’60s like ‘Raincoat in the River’ and ‘A Quiet Place’, Indoor Safari demonstrates how Nick Lowe continues to make his mark as a performer, songwriter and producer over a half-century after his start in the music industry.
Tindersticks’ 14th album, Soft Tissue, showcases their exploratory spirit, mixing intimate songwriting with experimental soundscapes. The album evolves from their previous work, balancing introspective lyrics with innovative musical textures. Band members, including singer Stuart Staples, emphasise the collaborative nature of the creation process, fostering a dynamic dialogue that shapes their music. Key tracks like ‘New World’ and ‘Always a Stranger’ highlight this blend of personal reflection and sonic exploration, underscoring the band’s enduring ambition and versatility.
One of the most exciting musicians today, Nilüfer Yanya, returns with a brand-new studio album, My Method Actor. With a unique blend of soulful melodies, indie rock grit and jazz influences, Yanya’s music continues to captivate audiences worldwide. This new body of work is a development and evolution from her previous sound. Her first album, Miss Universe, and its 2022 follow-up, Painless, cemented her as one to watch and a staple in the indie scene, lauded by critics on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Greatest Love follows British trio London Grammar’s critically acclaimed number 1 album Californian Soil, which was released in 2021 and earned the band their second Brit nomination for Best British Group. Arriving over a decade since the trio first entered the industry, the new album is a celebration: the sound of a band laying to rest the past and realising a newfound sense of freedom.
Over a catalogue of six albums, Native Harrow have produced a discography of “rich, engrossing records” and “instant classics” while single-mindedly following their own artistic code, acquiescing only to the exigence of the song: each song its own world with its own rules. Their music has been described as “beautifully soaring … rolling grooves ground languid and dreamy clearwater shimmers of sound”. Their latest album, Divided Kind, is set to continue this legacy.
Our release of the week comes from Lady Blackbird, who has taken charge of her own life and her own sound and is walking a new path, making each note on Slang Spirituals a step in a radically different direction. Across 11 tracks Lady Blackbird puts her sweeping, cinematic vocal power to use on everything from the soulful orchestral fanfares of ‘Let Not (Your Heart Be Troubled)’ to the finger-picking folk storytelling of ‘Man on a Boat’, the euphoric gospel empowerment of ‘Like a Woman’ and the seven-minute psychedelic soul instrumental of ‘When the Game Is Played on You’.
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